Shopping: Cynthia Vardhan Ceramics

Jackie Mantey, Columbus Alive

Thursday

Nov 10, 2011 at 12:01 AMNov 10, 2011 at 6:17 PM

Cynthia Vardhan's line of fine porcelain art has garnered her enviable recognition. She just returned from London, where contemporary craft show Origin invited her to show her work. She's profiled in a new book called "The New Artisans," released by distinguished English publisher Thames & Hudson. Stateside, she's got press coverage forthcoming from the likes of Parents and House Beautiful magazines.

Cynthia Vardhan's line of fine porcelain art has garnered her enviable recognition. She just returned from London, where contemporary craft show Origin invited her to show her work. She's profiled in a new book called "The New Artisans," released by distinguished English publisher Thames & Hudson. Stateside, she's got press coverage forthcoming from the likes of Parents and House Beautiful magazines.

You, however, can meet Vardhan in German Village for coffee. Or at least that's one example of how she meets local costumers to deliver their ceramic orders.

Vardhan works from her home on the east side of Columbus. She makes her clay in the basement and hauls it to the attic's sunny studio to wheel, fire, decorate and glaze her originals.

A rescued gray kitten and the heat from her Skutt Automatic Kiln keep her company. A framed cross-stitch at the top of the studio staircase reminds, "How you spend your days is how you spend your life." Documentaries from Netflix entertain her while she applies her signature slip-trail patterning technique.

"When I was 13, I was in an after-school pottery program," Vardhan said. "I was like 'OK, this is it. This is what I want to do.' I worked with a few other materials before I worked with porcelain. I have not touched anything else since. Whatever you put on porcelain, even if it's nothing, you know it's going to look fantastic."

She molds her beloved material into plates, candles, vases, jars and magnets. A Vardhan piece can range from $12.50 to north of $300. Purchases can be delivered through the mail, but meet her while you can.

"I'd love to live in London if I could afford it," Vardhan said.

The way her star is rising, the UK might not be too far away.

More stand-out local ceramic artists

Rough and Perfect

etsy.com/shop/roughandperfect

Husband and wife duo of Rebecca Harvey and Steven Thurston, both members of OSU's art department, sell charming dinnerware through their line, Rough and Perfect.

"It is a way to bring those things that we make, and more importantly the ideas that we have about objects that we make, out and into the world," Harvey said.

Some pieces are excitingly original, like the Story Cups ($40), a love tale told over 64 mugs, but the pair particularly flips for their porcelain tumblers ($30) that occasionally feature prints of upside-down beavers, ravens and insects.

"We like our cups upside down in the cabinet and right side up on the table," she said, "the best of both worlds."

Tulane Road Pottery

tulaneroad.com

Artist Meghan Howard's functional stoneware clay pieces are inspired by her background in architectural engineering. The decorative items and dinnerware alike have a sort of cottage coziness. Howard fires her kiln at her Clintonville studio, and her work is available locally at Wholly Craft and Village Flower Basket in Granville.

You?

clayspace831.com

Saturday, Nov. 12, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., Clayspace ceramic studio in the Brewery District is offering a holiday mugs workshop. Construct two cups using a clay slab technique (this is when pieces of clay are flattened and joined to form shapes). The class is an Opportunities for Artists event sponsored by the Greater Columbus Arts Council, so participation is free.